On any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see – from jazz at a coffee shop or theater, to a grunge show at a DIY space, to a major act at any one of our large venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new, maybe you heard one song by this small electronic, folk, grunge group, maybe it as on Audioasis, maybe it was from a friend, or maybe you’re just tired of what you’ve been previously listening to. Luckily for you, the PNW is ripe with local acts. Because we love the amazing diversity of venues, art spaces, producers, bookers, musicians, and talent, we’re going to suggest a few. This week we recommend Tacocat and Rebirth Brass Band at Olympic Sculpture Park; Case Studies, NERVE CITY. and Aykut Ozen at Cairo; Erik Blood with Western Haunts and Jason Dodson at The Vera Project; and Spoonboy, Bepstein Show, Tummy and Bex Berryhill at Heartland.

Wednesday, August 15th:

Tacocat is a real band

I can’t think of many things better than shows at Olympic Sculpture Park, especially when that show involves Tacocat and Rebirth Brass Band. This Thursday, you can sit in the mild breeze that soars off the water and hear the ever-hilarious multi-colored hair girl group Tacocat (my hair’s blowing in the wind!) before possibly jumping up and dancing to the overwhelming horn section of the mighty Rebirth Brass Band. More info here. Olympic Sculpture Park, 6pm, all-ages, free.

Tacocat:

Friday August 16th:

While the title Staring Into a Dying Fire might suggest utter despair, and in fact the folky alienated sounds eking out of Cairo’s doors this Friday night might not be the happiest, this gathering of musicians with collage artist Arturo Medrano is well worth your time. Seattle’s Case Studies, a.k.a. Jesse Lortz, will be moving, and to bless his departure he will perform, as will Aykut Ozen (of Ozen Studios) with his slightly freak leaning folk and one man garage alien NERVE CITY. of Virginia (though there is mention of moving to FL on his blog). I imagine many smoky sweet smiles will be exchanged even as tunes of distant travel and escapism are sung well into the evening. More info here. Cairo, 8pm, all-ages.

Nerve City:

Aykut Ozen:

Case Studies:

Saturday, August 17th:

Erik Blood will be playing the last show with his current line-up at The Vera Project this weekend with Western Haunts and Jason Dodson of The Maldives. Supremely seductive music from one of Seattle’s staple geniuses? Especially as this also serves as a kind of going away party to one era, but who knows what he’ll be up to next! This party isn’t all Blood’s though, Western Haunts are releasing a new album, and Jason Dodson is there to accompany their celebration with some soothing acoustic sounds. So take the chance to wish Blood well in the future by helping him usher out the past, and just wish Western Haunts well. More info here. The Vera Project, 7:30pm, all-ages, $11.

Erik Blood:

Western Haunts:

Jason Dodson:

Saturday, August 17th:

From D.C.’s thriving DIY scene this Saturday comes Spoonboy and Bepstein Show – Spoonboy being a musician of “a poor man’s Belle and Sebastian”-variety and Bepstein Show being the love child of a confused documentarian and a singing/dancing comedian with a little Jason Anderson tossed in for extra bafflement. While I know that one of these should be a fairly traditional set-up, with the other I’m not sure if I will be watching TVs, a stand-up routine, a sing-along, or a punk show. Do I really need to know? Not at all. They’ll be joined with Tummy, featuring Lilly from The Webs, as well as Bex Berryhill of RVIVR. More info here. Heartland, 8pm, all-ages, SD.

Spoonboy:

Bepstein:

Tummy:

Honorable Mentions:

On Thursday, don’t miss a 90’s Dance Party at the Josephine, so you can revisit the wondrous fashions of Reality Bites and/or My So Called Life or Saved By The Bell or literally any show/movie from the 90s where you got to wear a flannel shirt tied around your waist (9pm). Start Friday right with KEXP’s Concerts at the Mural featuring Mudhoney,The Grizzled Mighty, and Dude York (all-ages, free). Lo-Fi hosts the Black Weirdo Party put on by the totally amazing weirdos of THEEsatisfaction and featuring OC Notes and Chocolate Chuck as well as Porter Raywhose album Black Gold from May is ever-so-smooth rap/solid gold/funk infusion (21+, $10 door). The Comet will be taken over by USF (new tunes?), Hibou, Cashpony, Frozen Folk and Bone Cave Ballet (21+, $6). Black Lodge is hosting Sed Non Satiata from France as well as Walter & Perry, Carrion Spring, Lee Corey Oswald and Pathos Mathos (all-ages). Heartland has pulled together the friendly all-black-outfits trio Grave Babies alongside Hornet Leg, and with the return of Posse, as well as Zebra Hunt (all-ages, SD). On Saturday, make the trip out to Maple Valley and catch tons of favorites at VanFest, from Chastity Belt to The Horde and The Harem (all-ages,$15). On Sunday catch Darto, Seacats, Animal Lover and Elch at Heartland for a night of guitar pop/drone/rock/fun (all-ages,SD).